Drug-dealers are hanging around near a high school 'seeking to recruit young people' into their gangs.

Staffordshire Police are cracking down on the activity amid concerns pupils at Kidsgrove's King's School may be being groomed into joining drugs rings.

They stepped up patrols in the Clough Hall area of the town yesterday afternoon with marked cars circling around Clough Hall Park and the nearby school.

It was part of Operation Disrupt which also saw a number of drugs busts across Newcastle borough yesterday.

The King's CE School in Kidsgrove.

Chief Inspector Clair Langley said: “Officers have been patrolling near King's School to provide a high-visibility presence to deter individuals who may be seeking to recruit young people to become involved in the use and supply of drugs.

“We will not tolerate this type of behaviour and want to send a message to local drug dealers that we will be highly visible and proactive and will take action to prevent offending."

Community leaders have been left shocked by the police activity.

Read More

Town councillor and mum Laura Dillon said: “When I heard about this my first thought was ‘oh my God’ and I was shocked. It’s not what you would expect to hear in Kidsgrove but the park has been mentioned regarding anti-social behaviour for the last six months.

“The school is doing everything it can. It’s very frightening and you don’t send your children to school in the morning expecting them to be recruited into a drugs ring.

“The school is trying hard but the police have had their budgets cut.”

She said: "There have been issues this month with a teacher being attacked and drug use in the park. But no-one has the resources to patrol the park and it attracts anti-social behaviour - it has become a no-go zone.

"Because the gates aren't locked we have issues of bullying as well as the drugs. There's a lot happening but we don't have the resources in Kidsgrove."

Clough Hall Park, Kidsgrove

The school has welcomed the police crackdown.

Executive headteacher Emily Verow said: “We educate our children about the dangers of drugs and, naturally, we have zero-tolerance for them at the school.

“While we haven’t raised any specific concerns about drugs with Staffordshire Police, as always, we welcome their presence and pro-activity in the local community to make it a safer place for all.”

Follow us on Instagram - Featuring pictures past and present from across Stoke-on-Trent, North Staffordshire & South Cheshire - and if you tag us in your posts, we could repost your picture on our page! We also put the latest news in our Instagram Stories. Click here to follow StokeonTrentLive on Instagram.